Almost every Windows shortcut exists on the Mac with ⌘ in place of Ctrl. The exceptions are the ones that matter most in the first week: the window keys, Home and End, and a few that changed letters.
| Windows | Mac | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Ctrl+C / X / V | ⌘C / ⌘X / ⌘V | Paste without formatting: ⌥⇧⌘V |
| Ctrl+Z / Ctrl+Y | ⌘Z / ⇧⌘Z | Redo is Shift+⌘Z, not ⌘Y |
| Ctrl+A, S, F, P, N, O | ⌘ + the same letter | Save As: ⇧⌘S |
| Ctrl+T / W, Ctrl+Shift+T | ⌘T / ⌘W, ⇧⌘T | Tabs. ⌃Tab cycles tabs, same as Windows |
| Ctrl+L | ⌘L | Address bar |
| Ctrl+plus / minus / 0 | ⌘ + the same | Zoom |
| F5, Ctrl+R | ⌘R | Reload. Finder has no refresh; it is live |
| Alt+F4 | ⌘Q | Quits the whole app. ⌘W closes one window |
| Alt+Tab | ⌘Tab (apps), ⌘` (windows of one app) | No window-level switcher without a tool |
| Win+Arrow | fn⌃← / → (macOS 15 and later) | Halves. fn⌃F fills, fn⌃R restores |
| Win+D | F11, or spread four fingers | Show desktop |
| Win+E | ⌘Space, type Finder | Or click the smiling face in the Dock |
| Win+L | ⌃⌘Q | Lock screen |
| Win+Shift+S | ⇧⌘4 | Area screenshot; press Space for a window |
| Win+V | none on macOS 15; ⌘Space then ⌘4 on macOS 26 | Clipboard history |
| Win+Tab | ⌃↑ | Mission Control: every window and desktop |
| Ctrl+Alt+Del | ⌥⌘Esc | Force Quit |
| Ctrl+Shift+Esc | Activity Monitor (an app) | Task Manager |
| Ctrl+← / → | ⌥← / ⌥→ | Jump by word; add ⇧ to select |
| Ctrl+Backspace | ⌥⌫ | Delete a word |
| Home / End | ⌘← / ⌘→ | Line start and end |
| Ctrl+Home / End | ⌘↑ / ⌘↓ | Document start and end |
| F2 | Return (in Finder) | Rename |
| Delete (a file) | ⌘⌫ | Move to Trash. ⇧⌘⌫ empties it |
| Alt+Enter | ⌘I | Get Info, the Properties window |
| Alt+↑ | ⌘↑ | Up one folder |
| Ctrl+Shift+N | ⇧⌘N | New folder |
| Type a path | ⇧⌘G | Go to Folder, in Finder and in Open and Save dialogs |
| Preview a file | Space | Quick Look |
| Settings of the app | ⌘, | Every Mac app |
| Minimize | ⌘M | ⌘H hides the whole app, which surprises people |
| Run dialog | ⌘Space | Spotlight opens apps, finds files, does arithmetic |